{"id":1161,"date":"2019-02-13T13:36:26","date_gmt":"2019-02-13T18:36:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/read.whitefire-publishing.com\/?p=1161"},"modified":"2020-06-01T08:14:07","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T12:14:07","slug":"trapped-the-adulterous-woman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whitefire-publishing.com\/read\/trapped-the-adulterous-woman\/","title":{"rendered":"Trapped The Adulterous Woman"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Trapped The Adulterous Woman<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

by Golden Keyes Parsons<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A trap has been set\u2026by her own foolish heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A stranger approaches Anna\u2019s house in the oppressive heat of the late afternoon before Sabbath. Shielding her eyes against the penetrating rays of the sun, she recognizes the familiar gait and realizes he is no stranger. Her hand trembles as, in a moment of panic, she fleetingly entertains thoughts of grabbing her baby and running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there is no place to run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her mind flashes back to the events leading up to the present, and the encounter with Jesus that changed her life and set her on the path of forgiveness<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t

Chapter 1<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t

\u201cAnna! It is<\/em> you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her hands froze, and she looked up\nin time to see a man toss the lead for his donkey to the lone tree shading the\nhouse and stride toward her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ve looked everywhere for you. But\nnobody would talk to me. Nobody would tell me where you were. Nobody would\nlisten when I said I needed to speak with you.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His deep voice aroused every nerve\nin her body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He hesitated, one foot on the stone\npath leading to her front door and one foot still in the dust. A dog barked in\nthe distance, startling the donkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She wavered between Eli and the\narched doorway to her modest home, inching backward with each step he took\nforward. She shook her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease, don\u2019t be afraid.\u201d His voice\nsoftened. \u201cI know seeing me must be a shock. May we speak? Please, don\u2019t turn\nme away.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna backed against the rough wall,\nher fingers clawing at the stony surface, searching for the door. \u201cHow did you\nfind me? Why\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oppressive, stifling heat hung\nsuspended in the gathering dusk, enveloping her face and sucking the breath out\nof her. Her tiny house had turned into a sweltering oven. Anna had finished her\nbaking earlier in the day in preparation for the Sabbath, but the heat\nlingered. She had taken her little Jacob outside where it was cooler to watch\nthe neighborhood children at play. Their laughter as they romped in the\ndistance echoed through the advancing twilight. They chased one another around\nthe small trees down the road. The boys, aggressive and quick, teased their\nsquealing playmates as they tagged each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna bumped into the toddler at her\nfeet. He kicked at a basket that rolled over as he shoved it again with his\nfoot. It bounced back, coaxing a giggle out of the child. She shifted her gaze\nfrom Jacob to the unwelcome visitor. Anna whisked her son up in her arms and\nstuffed her trembling hands beneath the folds of his blanket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The handsome visitor moved onto the\nstone walkway, reaching out with his hand as if to touch her. The familiar\nscent of exotic spices floated softly around her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She tried to stem the flood of\nmemories, yet her emotions flared. She could almost feel his caress on her arm\nonce again. Her voice barely above a whisper, she signaled with her hand for\nhim to stop. \u201cDon\u2019t, Eli. Don\u2019t come any closer.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His shoulders sagged, and his eyes\npleaded with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She turned, the thought of fleeing\nwith Jacob darted through her mind, but where could she go? She squared her\nshoulders and faced him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She wanted him to go, yet she wanted\nhim to stay. How foolish. From the moment she met him at David and Lydia\u2019s\nwedding in Cana, she was smitten. And it was grief and heartache from the\nbeginning. Had she learned nothing from their association? What could he\npossibly have to say to her now?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnna, I know you are angry with\nme\u2014and for good reason. How can I make it up to you? Could you ever possibly\nforgive me?\u201d He paused, his glance sweeping over Anna from her tousled hair to\nthe toddler in her arms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna tightened her arms around\nJacob. \u201cAngry? Angry<\/em> doesn\u2019t begin to describe my feelings toward you.\nFurious would probably be a more apt description.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eli took another step toward her.\n\u201cPlease, I have no excuses. Let me try to explain. Please give me a chance to\nexplain.\u201d He looked to the side of the small house. \u201cIs Jeremiah here? Could I\nspeak with him?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna chewed on the inside of her lip\nand shook her head. \u201cMy husband is not home. Wait here.\u201d Anna motioned him to a\nrough wooden bench near the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacob put his head on Anna\u2019s\nshoulder and stuck his thumb in his mouth as his eyelids fluttered closed. Anna\ntook him inside and laid him on his pallet. The fragrance from the bread\ncooling on the table lingered in the air. She covered the loaves with a towel.\nPulling her stubborn headpiece that insisted on falling around her shoulders\nover her hair, she peeked through the doorway at Eli. He slumped on the bench,\nfidgeting with a rock he had plucked from the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Conditioned by years of training to\nextend hospitality to all guests, Anna poured a cup of water from a jug sitting\nnext to the door, but her mind reeled. She took a deep breath and joined him\noutside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou must be thirsty.\u201d She willed\nher voice to remain steady, measured, and firm. Not trusting herself to hand\nthe cup of water to Eli directly, she set it on the bench.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d He picked up the clay\ncontainer as if it were made of gold and traced his fingers around the lip. \u201cI\ndon\u2019t deserve even this small gift from you. I did not cherish the treasure you\ngave me\u2026before.\u201d He set the cup on the bench and then suddenly stood. The cup\ntumbled off and broke. The precious liquid splashed on his feet and ran in\nrivulets around his sandals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I should have been more\ncareful with what you offered.\u201d He bent down and picked up the pieces of the\nbroken vessel. He held the pieces in his hand, staring at them. \u201cWhat should\nI\u2026?\u201d His voice trailed off as they stood facing each other on the small porch\nin the long shadows of the evening. The advancing darkness had not dispelled\nthe heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anna had prepared herself never to\nsee Eli again. For him to be standing in front of her now, at her house, was\nmore than she could absorb. She took the pieces of pottery from him. The sharp\nedges bit into the palm of her hand. Anna clutched at the neck of her robe\u2014she\nfelt as if she were suffocating. Suffocating under the memory of meeting him\nthat day in Cana. Suffocating from the memory of their relationship.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\n